At the historic cooking program at the Hermann-Grima House, volunteers prepared this dish from the 1885 "Creole Cookery" cookbook.The cloves and allspice are undoubtedly the "Turkish" element of this unusual, delicious casserole..

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 large eggplant

2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, diced

6 bell peppers, diced

½ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon celery seed

½ teaspoon salt

Peel the eggplant and cut into thin slices, making sure to remove seeds. Fry the slices in a nonstick pan until brown, and remove from heat.

Cook the ground beef with the onion and peppers until lightly brown. Drain well to remove grease. Put beef back in pan and add the cloves, allspice, white pepper, celery seed and salt. Mix well.

In a medium casserole dish, make a thin layer of eggplant then a layer of beef, alternating until the mixtures run out, ending with eggplant on top. Gently pour water into the dish until the top layer is covered.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover for the last few minutes of cooking to brown the top.